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Nissan Works for the Right to Provide NYC with the Taxi of Tomorrow

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Taxi of Tomorrow

Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow

In a city known for its skyline and the ever-present yellow cab, have you ever wondered how New York City’s taxis came to be taxis? It takes a whole lot of legal work, paper work, leg work – a matrix of rules, regulations and politics in which Nissan’s Taxi of Tomorrow now sits.

In 2011, Nissan won NYC’s Taxi of Tomorrow competition with its NV200 design for a compact cargo van. This would allow Nissan to exclusively produce over 15,000 taxi cabs to replace those currently in use. The NV200 would provide commuters with a safe ride in a spacious cab while taxi companies would benefit from its fuel economy among other features.

However, as Nissan geared up to outfit the city with its cargo van, it hit a few roadblocks along the way and opposition to the Taxi of Tomorrow contract.

Two main features were missing from the vehicles – wheelchair access and a hybrid or electric model. Nissan recognized the importance of both complaints. Some of the NV200s are being modified in Indiana to provide wheelchair access, and Nissan is in the final stages of development for the e-NV200, a zero emissions option.

After a judge’s ruling earlier this month, it seems Nissan’s original Taxi of Tomorrow contract will be prevented from execution. Undaunted, the mayoral administration will appeal the decision as Mayor Bloomberg remains in office through December 31, and Nissan will continue production of its yellow cabs.

Whatever the decision, Nissan is sticking by its taxi of tomorrow to provide New Yorkers with excellent transportation they will soon be able to experience.

Brought to you by Wilkes Nissan in Wilkesboro, NC.